A visitor from Dublin, Ireland who traveled alone to Mai Chau valley and stayed with a local family last August described the experience as his happiest time in Asia.
Prosperous and spontaneous
His colleague Ha Thi Chung, a Thai ethnic woman from Mai Chau valley in Hoa Binh Province (which EU tourism adviser Don Taylor calls the homestay capital of Vietnam) offers a homestay package involving a tour around the valley, visits to local stilt homes and rounds of can–a rice wine drank from a communal jar through a number of long straws.
Don Taylor, adviser to the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Program funded by the European Union, said Mai Chau may become a victim of its own success.
Modern comforts like hot showers and thick mattresses have become common, he said.
The cultural exchange –theoretically a critical aspect of the service, therefore begins and ends with whatever information tour guides offer and whatever the tourists can observe, he said.
Many hosts in the central ancient town of Hoi An have upgraded their guest rooms to resort standards and even added swimming pools.
The authorities in Hoi An have stopped receiving registrations for homestay licenses to deter the rush to commercialize the service.
Hue said homestay services are developing in several countries and has become a tourism strength in, for example, Malaysia.